Growing pains
by ihrtryoma
Summary: Ryoma is growing up, he's confused by Sakuno's new changes and his own. He recognizes his own feelings for Sakuno but doesnt want things to change so fast. Watch Ryoma as he gains a new relationship with Sakuno he never thought he would have.
1. Chapter 1

Ryoma was a hard case to crack, his mind worked like rocket science. Even if you gave him an incredible compliment he wouldn't say a thing.

Everyone who knew Ryoma well knew this and so did Sakuno Ryuzaki. She knew him better than anyone did somehow.

She kept her distance when necessary and when Ryoma wanted her to be around he'd find a way to show it.

One day, something changed. Sakuno was sitting after one of his tennis matches for his last middle school match and they were soon going to be in high school.

Ryoma walked past Sakuno then stopped expecting Sakuno to follow close behind. But when she didn't he looked back at her.

Sakuno just stared back into his eyes with a blank face. Ryoma looked way then pulled his hat down "bye" he said then walked away slowly as if everything was normal.

Ryoma walked all the way home and half listened to Horio while he talked then stepped inside and shut the door. There, he broke. He started breathing heavily and clutching his chest which was going a million miles an hour.

His cheeks went completely red and his hands shook.

His mother walked to Ryoma then frowned

"what's wrong? Are you sick?" she asked about to check his forehead but he shook his back and forth fast then ran upstairs.

"Ryoma! Where are you-" his mom gave up then shaking her head mumbling about his strange behavior.

Later, he came down for dinner after calming down but his brain was somewhere else far away.

"Mom, can I…question" Ryoma said looking over his shoulder to make sure his father didn't hear anything.

Her eyebrows went up, he'd never asked questions because of his arrogant attitude and barely talked at all.

"Yes" she agreed, curious.

Ryoma's cheeks went red.

"If you had an old tennis racquet that you never used much but it was still beautiful would give it a try or would just leave it be? Because that tennis racquet is very dear to you and you don't want to damage her-it at all. Or, because the racquet is so special, use it in your tennis match?" Ryoma asked.

Ryoma's mom tilted her head then smiled when she realized Ryoma was not talking about tennis at all.

"I think I would take the racquet that was dear and take that chance that she-it will get hurt or you will" she told him.

Ryoma nodded then walked off.

The next few weeks Ryoma noticed things about Sakuno he hadn't before.

She was very observant and was not gutless because he found when he acted dense she called him a baka.

Maybe it was true but girls are confusing.

Then school break came, he didn't see Sakuno at all since his family took a vacation to the tropical islands.

His growth spurt had finally started and very quickly.

He sat on the porch sighing and rubbing his legs in attempt to make the pain stop, his father came out.

"Ryoma, what are you doing up?" Nanjiro asked blinking but hiding the porn behind his back.

Ryoma stared "growing pains, my arms and legs hurt" he replied.

Nanjiro smirked "finally, I was afraid you'd stay short forever" he rambled making Ryoma glare at him.

"Okay, okay, I'll go get you some medicine" Nanjiro replied then went back inside and came back with water and a pill.

Ryoma took the pill and swallowed it, gulping down water.

He bounced his leg up and down rapidly "I can't keep still! Every time I get up to get rid of the energy it just hurts again!" he growled in frustration.

"Welcome to the land of teenagers" Nanjiro replied smirking.

"Well I hate it! Ugh, stupid growing pains, stupid sempais, stupid girls" he growled.

Nanjiro's eyes widened "what was that last part?" he asked in hope that his son, that hadn't shown interest in girls at all for years.

Ryoma was so angry and frustrated because of the pain he didn't realize he was actually saying what he felt.

"The sempais kept pointing out to me that Ryuzaki's figure had changed and I just had to go and look and now she's…she's not shy anymore and almost never stutters and I don't know what do!" he yelled in frustration and his voice cracked.

When that happened he blushed "arghh!" he then stormed off into the house and went to bed.

Nanjiro smirked evilly "so, that son of mine has a crush on Sakuno-chan huh?" then read his porn mag.


	2. Chapter 2

Ryoma stepped into the house a day before high school would start, taking off his shoes then looking at his dad then smirking.

"Well?"

Ryoma smiled one he hadn't shown since he was 5 or when he won the Nationals "6 foot."

Nanjiro grinned then ruffled his son's hair earning himself a glare "that's good, very good!" he told him.

Ryoma didn't show it anymore but he was happy he was taller now but the growing pains still went on every once in a while.

Now, it was the first day of High school and as usual, Ryoma wasn't nervous at all.

Momo came to pick him up with a grin "I've been waiting forever to do this again" he told Ryoma who smirked "Mada mada dane" he said.

Momo laughed and shook his head then peddled off when Ryoma got on.

When they got to the school, all his old regulars annoyed him by yelling about his new height but he just gave them his usual tennis glare that showed 'I'm gonna beat you' then he spoke "Mada Mada Dane."

That's when some boys started making a commotion near the gate.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven!"

"Who is that?"

"That's Sakuno Ryuzaki, stupid."

"Lo-vel-y!"

"I'm jealous, beautiful hair!"

Ryoma looked at Sakuno, she was wearing very light make up with her uniform which was black and blue plaid with a white shirt with a blue tie.

Her hair was down to her thighs and one section of it was braided and tie with a ponytail holder with a little blue tennis ball on the end.

She was even more beautiful than he had seen her since school ended, he resisted the urge to blush and just stared willing her to look.

She walked with confidence and didn't seem to notice all the boys and girls staring at her then she saw Ryoma and waved, smiling.

"Hi, Ryoma-kun! Good morning!" she called and all the boys seemed to glare at Ryoma.

She made her way over to the regulars "hi, sempais" she greeted and they said 'mmmhmm…' in bliss with the exception of Inui and Tezuka.

"Ah Ryoma, you got so tall and your skin is so tan" Sakuno pointed out smiling brightly "how was your break?" she asked.

Ryoma answered with a 'hnnn' but thought of all the fun things he did, he went surfing and even went to theme parks.

"Oh, so you had a lot fun, huh?" she asked.

Rayoma gave her a look 'is she speaking my language? Can she really understand what I mean when I don't say much?'

Then Tomoka came along with the rest of his friends and they talked and Ryoma listened without saying much as always.

The days continued on to weeks and Ryoma started on the high school tennis team, within a short amount of time he became a regular along with all the other old regulars.

This team had some of the same training as Seigaku did but also very different. Soon, the old regular team was in a pinch.

There was a competition going on, every year the tennis team came up with a dance competition to improve their eye coordination along with rhythm.

However although the regulars were brilliant tennis players, dancing was a weak point in their group.

Kikumaru was great at acrobatics but to keep to a rhythm was incredibly hard.

Inui was never loose so he would trip over his feet.

Fuji was just too… well his eyes were closed all the time…

Momo's coordination was horrible.

Kaidou could get the moves but his sense of rhythm was stiff.

Oishi was shy and afraid to get his moves out.

Tezuka's problem was this… HE. WAS. TOO. STIFF.

Ryoma was motivation; he had no motivation when it came to dancing.

However, their pride as regulars was on the line so they needed a teacher.

Fortunately they stumbled into a classroom that everyone was surrounding, on the wall it said 'Seigaku high dance club.'

The regulars pushed through to get a long and almost all drooled at what they saw.

_HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY_

_Stomp, stomp I've arrived. Drop the beat, nasty face, why you lookin at me._

_Flying flying flying flying through the sky. In my space ship I'm an alien tonight._

_Dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty sucker, you think I cant get a hood like you, you mother f*****_

_I can do it like a brother do it like a dude, grab my crotch, wear my hat low like you._

Sakuno was in the front, in the beggining her hips went in a circle and she grabbed the chin of her dancing partner who was a boy.

Then her moves got edgy and her rhythm matched the song with it's fluency and edginess.

Her moves got sometimes too sexy for the regulars to handle and they went red faced, she wore tight black shorts and a loose shirt that was soon plastered to her body because of her sweat.

Ryoma was listening to the lyrics and watching her moves and was embarrassed.

At the end of song, things seemed to pause and the dancer went back their chairs and girls sat on the boys lap and tugged their ties and the song was over.

After the song people erupted in cheers and the dancers bowed and the regulars went forward and got on their knee's all except Tezuka and Ryoma of course.

"TEACH US HOW TO DANCE, SAKUNO-CHAN!"

"Eto…" she said surprised.

Later they explained, "I see so that's why you need to learn how to dance" she said.

"Yes, our pride as regulars will be destroyed if we lose this competition" Momo replied.

"Well… we have the classroom open on Thursdays and Fridays" she told them

"Yes, please teach us" Oishi begged.

"O-Okay" she said going back to her habit of blushing and stuttering for a mere second.

"YEAH!"


	3. Chapter 3

Ryoma stood in the club room on a Thursday after school; he had his signature fila cap on and shorts and a t-shirt.

"Ne, Ryuzaki" he spoke up.

"Yes, Ryoma-kun?" she asked, cheerfully.

"Why did you suddenly decide you wanted each of us on our own for each day?" he asked.

"Well, each of you have very different problems in your dancing, for example Kikumaru can't keep rhythm and Tezuka is stiff" she replied.

Ryoma smirked visibly on that remark because it was always true, Ryuzaki giggled at Ryoma smirk.

"Okay, let's get started" she told Ryoma who nodded; thankfully he wasn't seen checking her out. Her outfit was loose but not too much, she wore camouflage cargo shorts and a black tank top.

"Okay, Ryoma, you know that when you play tennis Inui points out all your flaws in your playing right?" she asked him.

"Yes" Ryoma said curiously.

"Well, right now, I'm going to be Inui" she told him, Ryoma got a vision of her with glasses and a pocket book and pen and smirked.

"Right now, you lack motivation to dance. But that's not the only thing you need to work on, let's face it Ryoma, you're a show off so you want to be leader in the group" she told him.

'Ouch, that hurt' he thought.

"You won't be able to do that in dancing, it's a group so you want your group to shine not just you. So, we'll work on finding a happy medium for you, okay?

Also, you're an inexperienced dancer so I'll teach you some of the moves you'll need to learn if you want to do good in this competition" she explained.

Ryoma didn't say anything but Sakuno seemed to know she didn't have to.

"Let's play a game of copy me" Sakuno told him.

"Let's play a game of copy me" he repeated.

"Not that way, I mean dancing" she replied.

"Not that way, I mean dancing" he repeated.

"Ryoma-kun" she complained.

"Ryoma-kun" he copied.

She placed her hands on her hips and gave him a playful glare and he copied her making her laugh, shaking her head.

"You're ridiculous Ryoma" she told him, clutching her stomach.

"You're ridiculous Ryuzaki" he told her.

Sakuno looked at Ryoma "I didn't know you could kid around" she told him.

"I didn't think I could either" he told her, avoiding her eyes as they would probably make him blush, he lowered his hat.

"Okay, better get started then" she told him and then grabbed Ryoma shoulders and pushed him so that he was in the middle of the classroom.

She then faced him after turning on the music, "remember copy my moves exactly, think of yourself as my mirror" she instructed.

"I don't really think I look like a cute girl" he commented but copied her as she started moved her hips and walking back then jumping.

Sakuno blushed at his comment

_You're like a shot of pure go-o-old, I think I'm about to explode. I can taste the tension like a cloud of smoke in the air. Now I'm breathing like I'm runnin cause you're taking me there. _

_Don't you kno-o-ow! You spin me out of control._

Ryoma copied Sakuno perfectly as if he was professional, moving side to side and spinning and jumping.

A hand going into the air, a smile from Ryoma that was as rare as diamonds that he was having the time of his life.

TAKE ME DOWN LIKE I'M A DOMINO!

They finished the dance, breathing hard but smiling wide.

"You're very good Ryoma, where'd you find your motivation?" she asked, Ryoma shrugged but had the answer in his head.

The rest of their time, Ryoma found new things he never knew about Sakuno. Before she was too shy to object to something he would say, he liked both Sakuno's now that he thought about it.

The shy one and the energetic one was part of her; he walked Sakuno home and went home himself after saying good bye.

He walked into his house thinking of what she said before _'where'd you find your motivation?' _he smirked. It was her, he didn't like to dance very much but he would dance for days with her.

The next week, something changed his entire schedule, his old friend Amy came to live with his family.

Amy used to be this sweet, shy girl that had blonde and curly hair that had a sweet face. Now she wore lots of makeup and wore her hair flat, she was now the model type figure and clung to Ryoma.

Ryoma rode on the back of Momo's bike to escape Amy that day and she walked. "Ryoma! You're so mean" she said talking in her girly, baby voice that Ryoma couldn't stand.

He didn't say anything but she still clung to him and Sakuno walked up, smiling "hi, Ryoma-kun" she greeted smiling widely.

"Hn…" he said and she smiled "good morning, to you too" she replied.

Had he not been in front of people, Ryoma would have smiled but he just smirked like usual.

Amy's smile disappeared and Ryoma shook her off in attempt to hide behind Momo but then Kikumaru jumped on him. Oh well, he'd rather have him glomp him than Amy hanging off his arm.

"Hey, Ryoma!" Amy yelled then spotted him and Kikumaru acted like he was guarding Ryoma. "Leave Ochibi alone, witch" Kikumaru said glaring childishly at her.

"Don't keep Ryoma all to yourselves" Amy argued and they went back and forth, Ryoma kept a somber face and yawned.

"Neh, Kikumaru?" Ryoma mentioned.

"Yes, nya?" Eiji asked energetically.

"I'm your same height" he commented.

Kikumaru blinked and everyone looked at him,

"…"

"NANI?"

Ryoma and Kikumaru were put back to back and it was confirmed, "but-but…" Kikumaru sniffed with Momo comforting him.

"What am I supposed to call Ochibi if he's not Ochibi anymore?" he whined.

'Uh... Ryoma?' Ryoma thought, with a sweat drop.

"Don't worry, Kikumaru, even if Ryoma isn't short anymore he's still younger so in age he's smaller, right?" Sakuno asked with a smile and a matter a fact voice.

Kikumaru hugged Sakuno "Sa-chan's right! OK, Ochibi is still a chibi-chan! YAY!" he cheered.

"S-Sa-chan?" Sakuno asked blushing then laughed making Ryoma smile for a split second.

Amy glared at Sakuno, Ryoma noticed, making him put on his poker face.

Amy noticed him staring "oh, Ryoma! You're so handsome today, I'll cheer you on at practice today!" she rambled on getting on his nerves.

This was going to be a long week.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryoma got up on a Wednesday after being dragged out of bed by his mother and yawned and stretched his arms.

He attempted to eat breakfast but the smell of it made him feel nauseous so he just left to hop on Momo's bike as usual with Amy trying to run after him.

He felt so hot today, he fanned himself in lunch but nothing seemed to work and just when he fanned himself the heat would turn cold and make him shiver.

Ryoma went through the day without anything to eat then went to tennis practice; unfortunately he was playing a match with Momo and wasn't feeling too good then.

Ryoma suddenly felt he would collapse and that was right when Momo was giving his powerful drive. Ryoma heard feet fly past him and vaguely saw Sakuno adjust her stance and use his old racquet to earn a point.

Ryoma's fever hit a point and he nearly fell and he felt soft hands take his shoulders and ease him down to his knees. "I was right; you have a fever don't you?" Sakuno's soft voice told him, he couldn't answer just rested his head on her shoulder.

When Ryoma came to, he was in the infirmary "well I'm gonna go call his mom-" Sakuno was about to leave when Ryoma instinctively grabbed her shirt. Sakuno looked Ryoma with wide eyes, her face going red like old times.

Ryoma's heart pounded but he could ignore the blush since he was sick so they wouldn't notice. "Ano…" Sakuno trailed Ryoma smiled misty eyed.

"Nice serve" he told her "now stay" he told her.

Sakuno stuttered for a few more moments then sat on Ryoma's bed "feeling better?" she asked him.

"Not really, my head pounds, my whole body feels hot, my eyes are watery and my heart pounds" Ryoma replied looking to the side.

Sakuno looked at Ryoma then giggled "Ryoma-kun, you complain when you're sick" she told him.

Ryoma took Sakuno's hand and pressed it to his cheek, her hand was so cold that it felt good; Sakuno blushed so badly that steam seemed to come off her face.

"D-Did you have anything to eat today? You know it's not healthy to go without at least a snack" Sakuno asked slightly stuttering before gaining her now usual manner.

"No, everything made me nauseous" he admitted.

"Ah, I know…" Sakuno said digging into her bag, pulling out a bowl of instant ramen "I was going to eat this before dance class but your more important so I'll just have to eat when I get home" she said softly.

Then heated up some water in the microwave in the infirmary and poured it into a bowl.

She then stirred it up then placed it in Ryoma's hands "careful, it's hot" she warned 'like you?' Ryoma asked in his thoughts.

"You sure it's ok? You won't get hungry?" Ryoma asked then looked away from her when he realized he sounded stupid.

Sakuno smiled and checked Ryoma's forehead again "nope, unlike you, I actually ate breakfast and lunch. I wouldn't be able to eat it worrying about you" she confessed, smiling gently.

Ryoma's heart raced and his chest pounded, 'CALM DOWN, DAMNIT!' Ryoma's thoughts screamed with him blushing so hard.

"Oh, maybe I should get you some ice, you seem hot" she told him then got up.

'That girl isn't good for my health' he thought then smirked and started slurping the ramen.

Soon, the rest of the regulars came back "ne, Ryoma's blushing" Momo teased making Ryoma glow with embarrassment "I'm sick! Baka!" he yelled.

"Saa, Ryoma's mad" Fuji joined in.

'Not you too' he thought.

"I'm back with the- oh…Senpai's" Sakuno started off quickly then calmed down, and walked over to Ryoma and pushed him to lay down and put the ice pack on his forehead.

"OH!" the Regulars teased loudly making Ryoma glare then stops and closes his eyes when he realized that it hurt.

"Oh Ryoma!" a voice sang making his head pound.

He rolled over and dived under the covers, Amy was here again and as loud as ever, "Oh poor baby" she cooed making Ryoma pretended to be asleep.

"The first step to Ryoma getting better is quiet" Sakuno told Amy cheerfully but quietly.

"Oh, right, I knew that like totally" Amy replied quieter, 'thank you Sakuno, you are an angel' Ryoma thought.

"Anyway, I'm gonna have to skip practice today. Momo, help me take Ryoma home?" Sakuno asked.

"Sure" Momo replied nodding.

"Oh, but- but- I can take care of Ryoma myself" Amy whined.

"No, it's alright I couldn't ask you to do that" Sakuno told Amy as if it would trouble Amy if she didn't do it.

'This is why I like Sakuno, she dismisses Amy's antics flawlessly and Amy can't say anything to complain' Ryoma thought.

After a few more minutes, Ryoma was lifted by Momo "I- I can walk" Ryoma snapped blushing due to the fact Sakuno was watching.

Momo shrugged and set Ryoma down, however by then a wave of nausea coursed through Ryoma and he nearly collapsed.

Momo caught him raising his eyebrows "you were saying?" he asked him.

Ryoma sighed and allowed him to be picked up "you're really light, Ryoma" Momo told him.

"So?" Ryoma snapped in irritation.

"Nothing, it's just even my cousin your age doesn't weigh so little" Momo replied while Sakuno listened with interest.

"Yeah, well, I exercise before and after meals so some of that exercise takes the calories away" he muttered.

Sakuno met his eyes and Ryoma stared back then she looked away with cheeks tinged with color.

"Right, well, we'll take you home then… is your mom normally home?" Sakuno asked.

"No, she works until at least 6:00 on these days" Ryoma replied.

"And you're dad?" she asked.

"I don't know" he answered but secretly hoped he wasn't there so he could be taken care of by her.

When they arrived though, his dad was unfortunately there.

"Don't you think it's a bit unmanly to be carried around by him?" Nanjiro told him, smirking at his son who struggled out of Momo's arms and was about hit his dad but the wave of nausea came again.

Nanjiro caught his son and chuckled "you're too serious" he whispered to Ryoma.

"Well thanks for bringing him home, Sa-chan and you too" Nanjiro thanked them both.

"No problem, get better Ryoma, otherwise I'll beat you easily at tennis" Momo told him grinning.

Ryoma smirked "Mada mada dane" he told him.

"Haa… it's really too bad you couldn't be nursed back to health by pretty Sakuno" Nanjiro sighed.

Ryoma's cheeks went red "shut up, Baka Oyaji!" he snapped.

"Okay, okay, I'm being tactless about your little crush aren't I?" Nanjiro teased.

"SHUT UP" Ryoma replied shoving his dad away and leaning on the wall for support.

Nanjiro chuckled then helped Ryoma up the stairs, Ryoma fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow.

Nanjiro let out a final chuckle then closed the door "so uncute, ne?"


	5. Chapter 5

Ryoma walked to school the next week, with the hot flashes and weakness, he wasn't able to go next week.

Amy had gone ahead of him this time for some reason and he just walked since he hadn't been able to get the exercise the last week.

When he got there he stopped when he heard Amy's voice then hid immediately his brain registered that Sakuno was in front of her.

'Why am I hiding?' he asked himself then was about to keep going when he heard something that peaked his interest.

"Why? Why does a girl like you have to like him too?" Amy cried, sniffling.

"A girl like me?" Sakuno asked.

"Yes, perfect, sweet and pretty and talented in everything a girl should be" Amy yelled.

"I'm not perfect… I'm not perfect Amy! I- Before this year, Ryoma would hardly glance at me so I thought if I got prettier, if I found my talent he would acknowledge me.

But Ryoma… he doesn't- his brain doesn't work that way" Sakuno sighed.

'What way?" Ryoma though with his heart pounding.

"Hey Ryoma, what are you-" Ryoma yanked Momo down beside him while putting a hand over his mouth.

"Sh" Ryoma told him.

"Ryoma seems spoiled, he's cocky, gloats when he wins, and flaunts his skills but he's not spoiled.

I know he isn't because every time he wins, every time he says the phrase 'Mada Mada Dane' it means something different.

Sometimes it means 'I'd like to play a match with you again', anyone who's ever played Ryoma or gotten to know him knows this.

Sometimes he says the phrase to himself by saying it to others 'You've got lots more to work on' maybe I'm wrong but I think he knows he's still learning himself" Sakuno explained.

Ryoma's eyes widened and he smiled, someone who finally understood. The one person who's always been by his side, she understood.

"So, I'm not perfect, Amy. Not even close, I'm clumsy and Ryoma says I've wobbly hips and when I get nervous I stutter.

But those are flaws, without them we wouldn't be people right?

So it's okay if you like Ryoma but I won't let you take him away from me, when it comes down to it, someday I'll let Ryoma decide who he likes.

But, right now I think I just want to have fun this year so I guess we're both 'Mada Mada Dane' ne?" Sakuno asked Amy.

Amy started laughing through her tears, "I'd forgotten… just how complex Ryoma is, I just wanted him. Not thinking of what he wanted and what he liked.

I just went after him like any fan girl, geez I'm an idiot. Of course Ryoma would get annoyed with me, he hates girls like that!" Amy replied chuckling

"yeah, we're both Mada Mada Dane, Sakuno" Amy agreed smiled.

"So, friends?" Sakuno asked.

"Sure, friends. Let's both agree to be ourselves inside even if we're both different outside, alright?" Amy asked, her sweet side that Ryoma knew showing through.

"Ok" Sakuno told her then they shook hands.

Suddenly Momo and Ryoma were fighting whether to go out when Ryoma got pushed by Momo and the girls looked at the two of them.

"Ryoma!" the girls shouted going red.

"Did you- eto… did you h-hear what-" Sakuno stuttered and stammered.

"Hear what? Wobbly hips?" Ryoma asked putting on a blank look then getting up and dusting himself off.

The girls looked at each other then laughed "nothing" Amy told him smiling.

"What's with that look? I thought you were miss pretty girl Amy now not Amelia" Ryoma told Amy who smiled.

"Amelia?" Sakuno asked.

"Amelia's my real name, my parents are into planes. Back home, I can pilot one myself if Ryoma comes with since he learned from my dad a long time ago. I was named after Amelia Airheart" Amy explained.

"That's so cool! It's a beautiful name" Sakuno told her.

"Oh, but Sakuno is pretty too, like bells" Amy told her.

Ryoma still had a board look on then walked to his classroom, when no one was looking he put on a slight smile.

After school, Momo waited for Ryoma "so, what are you gonna do?" he commented.

"Nothing, I'm not really in the mood to break any hearts right now, Amy is- She's a dear friend and I don't- I cant do that to her right away" Ryoma told him staring at the ground.

"The longer you wait the more it'll hurt for her" Momo replied with a serious look.

Ryoma closed his eyes "I know but it hurts me too" he answered opening his eyes. He looked over at Momo and smiled sadly "selfish isnt it?"


	6. Chapter 6

Amelia breathed out then jumped as she launched the basketball that with a hardly heard swish, made it into the hoop. She smirked confidently then picked up the basketball and began to dribble when a tall figure was in front of her and instinctively, she put her hand out and dribble behind her.

She stepped back as the figure, obviously male attempted to snatch it but she used tried to fake right but he caught her trick and almost took it from her. Whoever he was, he was good and his eyes followed her moves. She smirked then she used wizards fake, and shot past him suddenly and shot.

As usual it swished into the basket. "Ah… bested" the boy mentioned and she looked at him closer.

The boy was tall, very obviously built for basketball with his arms and legs being so long and his muscles. He was good looking with dark red hair and brown eyes, he smiled "you're good at basketball, American right?" he asked.

She nodded "I am from America" she agreed, her curly ponytail swishing behind her and her green eyes narrowing wondering what the boy was up to.

"Where from? I just transferred here a year ago after being in the US" he asked switching the English, very good English with no accent and she smiled.

"New York, and you?" she asked picking up her basketball and tucking it under her arm.

"Colorado, you played a lot of street basketball huh?" he asked.

"That's right, you too?" she asked.

He laughed nodding "not much street that's flat in Colorado unless you're in Denver but a little, English your best class too?" he asked and she laughed.

"Yes but they have us reading Shakespeare, as if normal English wasn't enough" she mentioned and he chuckled.

"I'm glad you think so too, you're very good at Japanese too, and did you learn when you were young too?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, my friend and his family are close to my family and they're Japanese so I learned to play with Ryoma when I was 5" she replied.

"Ryoma Echizen? The tennis player that's a semi-pro right now?" he asked.

She nodded "yes, although don't tell him that or he'll get a bigger head" she said and he laughed and she did as well.

"Oh wait, I don't your name yet, I'm Darryl Jacob Honda but please, call me DJ" he said holding out his hand which she shook.

"Amelia Doyle" she greeted.

"Sweet, want to play some one on one?" he asked and she grinned.

"If you can keep up" she taunted then started to dribble.

They played for a long time on the court until they were both lying on the street exhausted. "You're better than I thought; I've seen you around school but never worked up the courage to talk to you. You're nicer than I thought you would be" DJ informed her, sitting up and smiling brightly.

Beside herself, her face heated up and she blushed but smiled as well "thanks, you're pretty cool too, friends?" she asked holding out her hand. He shook "yeah" he agreed.

"You play on a team?" she asked then corrected herself "sorry, club? I can't ever get used to the terms here" she said.

"I know what you mean and yes, I play at our school. Hey, that reminds me, we need a manager" he said, his warm brown eyes lighting up "maybe you can be ours" he said.

She was silent, considering it "that might not be a bad idea… you know what, fine, count me in" she agreed then DJ held up his hand and they high fived so hard that they both hurt their hand. They soon realized and laughed.

* * *

"Ryoma. Where'd Amelia go?" Sakuno asked, her racquet (Ryoma's old one) held behind her casually. She was wearing a black skirt and red tank top, her hair in a ponytail; Ryoma's tried not to stare but it didn't quite work because of her exceedingly well kept figure and curves.

"Hnn…" he mumbled in wonder.

* * *

Ryoma watched on the steps of his house as Amelia dribbled her basketball on the tennis court then shot into the hoop that she had nailed onto a tree.

Ryoma smiled gently "what's that look for?" Amelia asked, her curls framing her pretty face, a face free of makeup.

"Hnn…" he mentioned, his smile growing bigger "want to play?" he asked.

Amelia smiled "you can't play basketball with a tennis racquet" she teased and he just stared at her blankly and she sighed then tossed the ball to him and he dribbled past her. She laughed and quickly snatched it back and shot into the basketball.

"You're rusty, Ryoma and still a shorty" she told him, switching to English "how do you say that in Japanese, chibi?" she asked.

Ryoma glared daggers at her "I'm 6 foot" he argued unconsciously glaring.

"6'1" she bragged, dribbling the basketball between her legs then effortlessly throwing it behind her and it swished as it went into the net while Ryoma quickly got bored with basketball and bounced a tennis ball with his racquet.

"Bigfoot."

"Short stack."

"Mommy long legs."

"Hat fetish."

"Dumb blonde."

"Green mop head…?"

"Mada mada dane."

"That all you got?" she counted smirking and as usual, Ryoma didn't reply so she silently claimed her victory.

"Hey Ryoma?" she said walking over and sitting down on the steps and he looked at her.

"Maybe I was wrong" she told her.

He tilted his head as if to say 'about what?'

"Well, for a few weeks I latched onto you thinking maybe I loved you but…" Ryoma's straightened.

"But" he said waiting for her to continue.

"Now I'm thinking that I don't, maybe I just thought so because you're the closest person to my heart but maybe you're not what sets it on fire" she told him and Ryoma stared that intense gaze.

"Can I do something to make sure?" she asked.

"What?" he asked.

"Not the most conventional way of finding out if you like someone or not but…" she leaned very close and kissed on the lips, no tongue or anything. Just a long lip to lip contact.

She pulled away to find Ryoma staring with hardly any emotion but with a simple glance harder, it was a slight tinge of red on his cheeks. Ryoma was, after all, a boy.

The two turned when they heard a squeak and Ryoma's eyes went wide as they both saw Sakuno there, she dropped the bag she held. "Ah, s-sorry" she said then took off, running as fast as her legs could carry here.

**I am so sorry, I know I keep bringing you Cliff hangers but the next one is the last chapter (maybe) and this just had to be done so please**

**_REVIEW_********PLEASE **


	7. Chapter 7

Amelia raised her hand then placed it on her forehead in the classic 'oh brother' pose. She stood up and yanked Ryoma to his feet and he stared at her slightly shocked.

"Well, this confirms it because I have no desire to kiss you further, now go after her" she shoved him towards the gate.

"Huh?" he turned back to her and she sighed exasperatedly.

"Honestly Ryoma sometimes I can't believe your grades. Did you get whacked with too many tennis balls or is your brain literally one? Sakuno, she's the one you like, right?" she asked and Ryoma stared wide eyed.

"Earth to Ryoma" Amelia snapped her fingers and Ryoma nodded finally.

"She just ran off because she saw you kiss me-"

"But you kissed me-"

"That's not the point, so she's probably sad or crying or both and you're just standing there?" she asked.

She walked up to him and shoved him onto the side walk "go after her, stupid, do I have to spell it out? Get a 40-love tracking her down then tell her what happened and then kiss her but better than I kissed you" she explained then shut the gate.

Ryoma seemed to finally get it and started to run and Amelia sighed and shook her head "boys, how stupid can they get?" she mentioned to herself.

"I take offence to that" Amelia turned to find DJ in workout clothes, obviously out for a run.

"Hey, care to go for a run?" DJ asked, his brown eyes melting her heart.

"Is that your only offer?" she asked.

"No, we go for a run then we each take a shower and I'll take you to dinner and ice cream, better?" he asked.

"Funny, that sounds like a date" Amelia mentioned and DJ smirked.

"There's no 'like' about it, it is a date, so…?" DJ asked and Amelia smiled and shut the gate behind her and they both started jogging.

"So what provoked your comment on stupid boys?" he asked.

"Oh… you know just boys being chicken and not asking the girl out when he knew she liked him" Amelia replied.

"Oh, good thing we don't have to worry about that, do we?" he asked and she smiled brightly. She bumped him with her hip and rolled her eyes and he tugged his shirt and dragged him along.

"DJ, you just may be my type" she mentioned, a smile going to her lips.

* * *

Ryoma ran along the pavement, his heart pounding painfully against his chest even though this wouldn't have been hard to run. He stopped once he got to a park and looked around anxiously and sighed in relief as she saw Sakuno huddled under a tree.

He looked around then wondered what he was going to say and hesitated to approach. Then wondered what Amelia would say if she found out he chickened out. He grimaced and sighed then walked up to her then sat down.

She looked at him then started to stand when he grabbed her wrist and gripped it tightly. His stomach flipped as he saw the tears gathered at her eyes. She looked at him and those tears slid down her cheeks and she wiped them.

"Why are you here? You kissed her, right? You chose her" she said and he just stared trying to think of a way to explain without sounding like a jerk.

Sakuno misinterpreted the silence and tugged on her arm trying to pull free from Ryoma who held on. "Let me go, I don't want your pity, you know don't you?" she said blushing.

Ryoma yanked her toward him and wrapped his arms around in a tight hug "wha?"

"Amelia kissed me to prove something; she said that after she kissed me that she had no desire to do anything else" he told her, his face heating up considerably and he was glad she couldn't see his face at moment.

"Okay but you didn't have to come after me just because you felt guilty" she said and he could feel the hot tear drips on his shoulder.

"When do I ever do anything I didn't want to do?" he asked then parted from but held her wrist so she wouldn't run.

"Why did you want to?" she asked, wiping her eyes hastily.

"Mada mada dane" he told her, then smiling brightly and she gasped loudly as he leaned closer.

Her eyes went wide as she stared into his golden eyes "what do you mean, Ryoma? What does that phrase mean right now?" she asked, his face only inches from hers.

He smirked victoriously, she knew that look. She knew it so well, that was a look that meant he was going to walk away from a game victorious. That meant that he would bring out an amazing move that left spectators gaping at the player.

He was a pillar, a protégé, practically dripping with good looks and even so close to him, she could see his looks. The way his sculpted neck connected with his defined chin and his eyelashes went impossibly well with his golden eyes.

Her eyes darted to his lips and she clicked her own, pressing her lips together "hn… I like you Ryu- no Sakuno" he told her and she found herself hypnotized by the way his golden eyes swirled with emotion and truth.

"Really?" she asked.

He smirked, some of his white teeth showed "ne, you know there are 4 things I like the most in this world?" he asked and she nodded.

"Number 4, ponta; number 3; kuropin; number 2; tennis; and you wanna know number 1?" he whispered, her breath hitched as she could feel Ryoma's hot breath on her skin like fire. Her face going red as she nodded.

"Mada mada dane, Sakuno, it's you" he told her and before she could respond at all, he kissed gently.

'Kiss her but better' Amelia had told him, she meant tongue right?

Ryoma kissed her deeper, cupping her face as she responded to his kiss. When they parted, both were breathless and with swollen lips and Sakuno smiled brightly. "I like you too, a lot, no, I love you" she corrected herself.

Ryoma smirked again then got up and pulled her to her feet, they had been on the ground so long that he was stiff. He stretched his long limbs and then snaked an arm around Sakuno kissed her again, finding he liked it a lot.

"So you like me better than tennis even?" she asked.

He shook his smirking and she frowned "I love you both equally" he answered and she laughed. She was strangely okay with that, after all one of the things she liked about him was his insane love for the sport. Ryoma just wouldn't be Ryoma without tennis and Ponta and… without Sakuno.


End file.
